Tuesday, March 10, 2015

I painted this for my wonderful wife Kat, who is very pregnant right now and a showing me just how much of a total warrior she is. She loved it. :)

Grace is still gone. As is my iphone focus.

The mini is called 'Grace is Gone' (gone meaning pregnant in this case- not her Grace is gone because she let someone up the duff her). It is back in production over at Here. Be warned, the price will make you feel like someone at Cmon is trying to impregnate you.

I scored this copy many years ago at my first Mother of All Battles com, and it has sat in a little baggie waiting for the day

I really hate working with resin. Right now I am looking at all the broken pieces of the AD&D collectors Ithillid raiding party and wondering who the hell thought making details less than a mm in resin was a good idea. I also rather dislike integral resin bases, so I snipped it off with tin shears and mounted it on a 30mm plastic one. With resin, I always glue a thin washer in the base to give it some weight (but not enough to snap the ankles if tipped).

To be honest, the paint job isn't the greatest I have ever done but I only had a short window to do it in whilst Kat slept. I focused on overall feel, rather that precision. It is really nice that I cannot paint this in my usual hobby time as my wife actually takes an interest in what I am doing. She can even identify minis with cute terms like 'that's a nurgley thing' now.

To protect it, I put it in a clear chessex dice box as a display case. oooh, you handy little things.

ANECDOTE TIME!

I was in a game store the other day talking to a lovely chap about the dire state of Sydney game stores re:tabletop mini gaming (we agreed on this matter) and our recent other conversation at CANCON.

I mentioned I wasn't sure I would make the next one as "my partner is about to give birth to our son".

He paused and blinked for a very long moment, looking confused.

"I am gay". I said without adjusting volume from the 'I am a nerd talking to one other nerd in a game store, therefore talking loudly so that ALL the nerds in the store can nod sagely at our righteous nerdfuckery volume'.

Now, this is really interesting.

Interpretation : "Gosh, you look like a natal straight female. I thought you where suggesting your boyfriend was giving birth and got confused"

Interpretation 2: "Gosh you look like a transgender woman, and the media portrays transgender women as male attracted as part of the woefully incorrect and offensive "dem transgenders are all just reeeeeaaaally gay men" trope. I thought you where suggesting your boyfriend was giving birth and got confused."

Interpretation 3: "Dammit! I just had two long conversations with a woman about mini wargaming and it turns out she is gay. When will I ever catch a frikking break?".

Now the latter is rather unlikely with my supermodel looks* but by the manner of the previous conversation I would rule it out. Contrary to what you believe guys, we girls do know when you are subtly chatting us up... oh and whilst we are on that subject, do NOT spray deodorant like in the TV commercials, where the guy appears to be varnishing himself... just a light zap under each arm will do. Please- to all the lawful deities- stop.

*(super model currently unassembled and requires painting- glue and paint sold separately, contents may vary).

Oh, I suppose there is also...

Interpretation 4: "she is having a baby? A baby. Fuck... didn't I have one of those a moment ago? Where did I put it?"

And the old...

Interpretation 5: "lesbians. Hmmm... The scripture specifically says "man layeth with a man like
with a woman"... I guess women laying... Uh... Layething.. with women as a woman is okay. A touch abimination-y I suppose. Maybe just lob gravel at them for a bit instead of stoning with stones".

"You said Jehovah... roll for initiative."

Oh wait...

Interpretation 6: "gay? She's gay? That reminds me, I forgot to be gay in college. Must get around to that. Maybe once I finish painting my Saga Skraelings".

I am going with interpretation 1, mainly because my ego needs it.

I have to say that it struck me just how wonderfully loud " I am gay" (said in the manner, I now realize, not dissimilar to the way Princess Leia said "what?!" to Moff Tarkin... and boy, how differently that scene would have gone had SHE said "I am gay" instead)...

uh... Where was I?

Oh yes. Saying "I am gay" out loud to a room of men and the complete non-reaction you get these days felt good.., because once upon a time it would not have been a non- reaction. It would have been quite, horribly, different indeed.

Even gravel hurts when thrown.

These days, I can be openly a lesbian, openly in a serious relationship with a woman, openly having a child together and most importantly openly blogging about openly painting her extremely overpriced miniature of a preggers cyborg killer.

We can forget just how far we have improved things.

Hopefully soon, we will be grudgingly given back the right to be married by our inbred, catholic private schoolboy government.

On that day I will paint a couple of girls standing on a pile of defeated twisted monsters and blog the shit out of it.

Many moons ago, I bought a Gf a Reaper Minis oriental mage - painted up in spring greens and soft milk moss tones. Fast forward a decade, turns out she still has it - all else prior to her now-married life did not survive the ex-history purge. Clearly a natural 20 for surviving the Apocolypse there. That or folks in our fast paced world, still value tokens of affection that took time to produce.

"Gosh, a girl? having a boy with another girl ? And she's a geek on top of that ? Maaaaaan that's too good, now make a move Tim (I'll assume the name's Tim), that's your only chance, how do you even make a move on a lesbian geek? .... oh but wait she said "her partner", that means she's not single... DAMN IT TIM !, are our going to miss all the opportunities out here ? Now smile you idiot."

(clears throat, sweats heavily and starts taking with a slightly more soft and seducive tone)

"Oh , well... too bad, hope we'll see you the year after, such a pity, such a pity... (smile fades away and eyes gaze into the horizon) such a pity...

As Delaney left the store followed by a wind of flowery scent (with a touch of Dettol), Tim raised his arm and openend his mouth as he was about to call her but words never left his lips... such a pity... The day after, he would put more deodorant, well he would actually put some to begin with, but he would put a massive dose, he would actually dip himself in it like he'd dip in AP strongtone. Remembering the TV ads with the guys emptying half cans of it and getting all the girls around...

"Tim my boy, time to take the reins ! "

PS : Cliché blog comment but I'd be happy for my greatest models to be on par with your not greatest models. Really cool stuff here.

love it!such an awesome piece, made more awesome with the sentiment, and things are still improving for a good many people =)I agree with Mattias, when such a day comes I can't wait for the day, or your commemorative Miniature scene =)

Cool, you both get to make minis. I think yours are easier to manage, and much easier to buy on ebay.

I gave my boyfriend a Cookie Goblin. I just figured a plump little goblin reaching for 'stolen' cookies fit him perfectly. He argued that for all I knew those cookies belonged to the goblin and that I shouldn't assume they were stolen. It being unfair to goblins.

It's the fact they are personal, that someone has taken the time to customise a gift that makes painted minis great gifts. Assuming they are into minis of course.

Girlfriend/Wife of 21 years was kind enough to paint a 15mm DBA ancient Briton army for me, still in the display cabinet. I bought her minis, but alas neglected to paint them, should have yep definitely should have, now were did I put that old Chessex box?

"These days, I can be openly a lesbian, openly in a serious relationship with a woman, openly having a child together and most importantly openly blogging about openly painting her extremely overpriced miniature of a preggers cyborg killer."